Sakha 'da(qany)': Negative Polarity, Conjunction, and Focus

Abstract

This paper discusses the quantifier particle da(qany) in the Siberian Turkic language Sakha (also known as "Yakut").  Focusing on its distribution in negative polarity items (NPIs) and doubled coordination constructions, it is shown that it has a distribution which is far more restricted than similar elements in other languages. In order to account for the semantics of this element, it is argued in an exhaustification-based theory of polarity sensitivity, that da(qany)'s main semantic contribution is to mark the alternative of its host as obligatorily active.